The Light in Paradise
by Katterina
Summary: A story set in the FireflySerenity universe consisting of original characters. It's about the firefly vesel Hotaru and it's crew. We start in Persephone as the gang just completed a heist and it getting ready to head out to the paying customer.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Firefly/Serenity universe. That belongs to the incredibly creative Joss Whedon**

**These originals characters are my own creation though and are inspired by me and my friends.**

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Gracefully she strolled out of her shuttle, her tranquil sanctuary, and onto the metal catwalk over the ships cargo hold.Her smile was tight-lipped as she looked into the bay below to see Lou and Anita trying to restrain a beautiful bay horse. The horse was frantic and would not be calmed by the two.

In a sweep of aqua satin and silk she was down the stairs. "So we're torturing horses now?" Her sarcastic remark was aimed at the Captain, Lou.She grabbed the halter lead from his hand as she spoke, then she began whispering gently to the spooked horse.

"Stealin' a horse actually! A prize winnin' race horse to be exact," Lou said as he backed up a step. He watched Elena speaking calmly to the stallion. He admired her gentleness and peace, almost envying the horse for her soothing touches and soft words. Her fiery hair caught his breath as it flowed down her back, and the way her dress clung to her kept him mesmerized.

"Plan to sell him off-world. A competitive racer wants to use him as a breeding stud for a winning colt." Anita added as she secured the lines that were supposed to keep the horse in one place for the trip.

Elena's frown grew to an angry scowl as she listened. "How typically idiotic of someone to believe that the breeding matters more than the training and care of an animal," she huffed as she absently stroked the great bays neck. The horse seemed content, even happy to have her touch him.

"It's not the pedigree that matters most! It's the attention paid," she added, gently biting her lip as she sometimes did when frustrated.

"I thought it was the pedigree that mattered most for the money." Lou said with a jabbing tone. Then he realized his mistake, to late to take it back. He watched her face grow even more filled with venom.

Elena turned on Lou, leaving the calm horse behind. "What is that supposed to mean?" She walked up so that she was less than a foot away from him. Her blue eyes darkened like the sky during an ocean storm. "I would entertain one of lesser pedigree if his attentions were kind enough," she whispered to him with a sad voice.

Lou looked at her with an ache in his heart. "Only if they could afford your fee, am I right?" His tone was angry with his longing. Though he regretted his words, he could not stop himself from saying it.

Elena turned from his face so that he could not see the tears forming in her eyes. She walked to the horse and stroked the muzzle once more before walking back towards the stairs to the catwalk. "Not always…" she breathed at Lou. "Make sure that horse is treated well!" She snapped loudly as she ascended the stairs and went back to her shuttle.

Anita turned on Lou with a cynical smile. "You handled that well, sir." She went about putting a bucket of grain down for the horse and some water as well. Then she turned towards the catwalk on the other side. Her leather clad figure laughing silently as she walked.

Lou ran a hand through his dark, buzzed, hair and sighed. He never knew what to say around Elena and it seemed that he was constantly putting his foot in his mouth, so to speak. He walked over to the intercom and punched a button on it. "Jim, take us up before they realize this horse is missin." He said into the microphone to his pilot.

"Time to leave Persephone," he said to himself as he placed the mic back down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Back inside her sanctuary she wept. The tingling chimes of her automatic wind-chime tried to sooth her every ten seconds, to no avail. Even the peaceful water fountain could not cheer her mood. She lay on her satin sheets in a splay of green and aqua.

If she had known that her life would end up like this, would she have made that choice all those years ago? The choice, between two evils, that her mother had presented her at the tender age of fourteen.

When she was only fourteen her father had died, leaving Elena, her mother, and her two younger siblings, alone. A rich gentleman by the name of Ross Lyian had offered to marry off Elena to his eighteen year old son for a small fortune. The only problem with the deal was that the son was a well known pedophile. The only reason he wanted her was because of her youth.

Elena's mother gave her options, rather than forcing the marriage on her daughter. She could marry the man and their family would not suffer for money ever again, or she could be sent to become a companion.

If she became a companion then the guild would take care of her family during her training. That would mean she would have to pay back the costs during her career, but it would be a real life; a free life.

She had started her companion training a few months after that. Now here she was ten years later; a well known and respected companion on a Firefly traveling with pirates and mercenaries.

"Falling in love with the goram Captain," she whispered in her misery. A captain that loved to poke at her profession with distain. Sometimes he treated her as though she was just a common whore, and then other times it appeared that he loved her as well.

Traveling with a registered companion was something every ship captain would dream of. It brought some respectability to a ship that could not be gained otherwise. Especially with this crew of ruffians! That was the original reason that Captain Louis Lee had agreed to rent the shuttle out to Elena.

Now neither of them were sure why she stayed and what their working relationship was anymore. Elena wanted to understand him, and his heart. She hoped he felt the same way.

She sat up slowly, drying her eyes on the corner of her handkerchief. Automatically she cleaned up the bed, making it look pristine again. With a soft grace she walked over to her closet and picked out a nice blue silk dress to wear around the ship.

Once she had changed and pulled her hair up she wandered out to the galley of the ship to make some food for herself. She carried a basket of foodstuffs that she had purchased back on Persephone to share with the crew. They seldom had good food to eat, and she thought cooking a few good meals would lighten everyone's mood a little.

She entered to find Lou, Anita, William and Evan all sitting around trying to decide what to eat out of the rations that they had. Upon entering they turned to look at her.

"What do you have there?" Evan, their doctor, asked with a cheery curiosity. His bright green eyes resting on the basket in her hands as he jumped up to get a better look. He was the youngest of them all, only 20, and very energetic all the time. He did tend to sulk a little with depressed or angry.

Elena smiled, suppressing a laugh at his hyper attitude. "I bought some foodstuffs back on Persephone. Would anyone like to help me cook dinner?" She asked as she looked around at the very attentive crew. William, the Shepard, and Evans both came forward to look in the basket she had just set on the kitchen counter.

"Ooh a real chicken!" Evan shouted out in excitement.

As they busied themselves in the kitchen Elena could feel Lou watching her every move.


End file.
